After checking into the hostel and unpacking, we left almost immediately to begin exploring and to get something to eat. The centre of Madrid is incredible. The architecture is stunning and even in the pouring rain it looks beautiful. It was still 35 degrees however, and we were still looking for somewhere to eat. We found a traditional tapas bar near Plaza Mayor, and ate there, sitting outside in the street observing the hustle and bustle of one of the most ‘touristy’ areas of the city. The chairs were comfy and the parasol above us was fitting with a mist-spraying system that periodically sprayed ice-cold mist onto the diners below. It felt amazing for the first few minutes, but after a while I was sick of having to de-mist my phone screen, and eating slightly damp bread was a little distracting. We ate our tapas (mostly potatoes and cheese for me, being a vegetarian) and left, continuing to explore the city by night.

Over the next few weeks we explored more and more, stumbling across famous buildings, squares and galleries. Ask us what these places are called and we couldn’t tell you, it would be “the park with the boats” or “the gallery near where I bought that Maxibon”. We visited a few art galleries, and I realised that I haven’t indulged in publicly available artwork for a long time. Being a photographer and interested in becoming an independent artist, this was bad news. Since then I’ve tried to visit as many interesting galleries as possible, including a Richard Hamilton exhibition and the famous ‘Guernica’ by Picasso.

One of my favourite parks in Madrid is Parque del Retiro, which is probably the most famous. It’s truly enormous, with pathways littered with street performers and entertainers, ice-cream vendors and shaded benches. There’s definitely something for everyone there, with a boating lake in the centre surrounded by impressive monuments to past kings and poets, quiet shaded spots hidden away and trees full of bright green parrots and red squirrels. We’ve visited there on various occasions, and it seems to be the perfect place to end a long day of shopping, eating, exploring or working. I visited that park for the first time in our first week, ‘the hostel week’ as it’s now so affectionately known. After a slow walk around the perimeter of the boating lake, we sat in the ferocious afternoon sun on the steps of the largest monument, looking out over the sparkling water and watching the people attempting to row the cumbersome boats from one side to the other. The sun began to set, and the scene was beautiful.

This weeks photo is titled ‘The Boating Lake’, and was taken from the steps of that monument in that perfect golden sunlight.